I thought it was easy

Until now , it was easy peasy slate a squeasy ! Bespoke joinery was a breeze...Plumbing decisions on a scale on a scale of difficulty was ok! All helped by having tradesman with a ""thinking out of the box brain"" ( I've double quoted because I'm impressed!) However, OMG - electrician, I'm lucky he's good ( like my nan says can't hide his opinions in his face !!) which like me is great! - The hardest part of building for yourself is ... 2 way , 3 way , dim, , single, recess, drop, hang wall, ..., and that's just lighting! See it's so hard! I was so stressed last week I couldn't even update this blog!

Designer White Shower Room Extractor Fan 100mm 4" - Fantronix Limited

Designer White Shower Room Extractor Fan 100mm 4" - Fantronix Limited Trying to find a replacment for the ugly extractor fan....without breaking the bank!

No progress

Day 3 : No plumber as yet!!!

Ready now for first fix

As we are now on our 3 rd and most definitely final joiner , actually to call Simon a joiner would be understating his talent, he's patient, knowledgeable and a carpenter. Nothing is unachievable and every thing he does looks fabulous . Let's hope I'm not on the 3 rd electrician and plumber when I'm talking about how wonderful the bathroom and lighting is !!

Or this?

Hall void?

Lights...electrics .. Can't decide! What do you think of this for the entrance hall - hanging in the void?

The gable

Complete, it looks almost naked without the scaffold ...and still standing

10 grey gutter brackets..

Gutter brackets painted and drying in the sunshine , we have chosen ral 7016 for the alu windows & guttering

Ensuites

The bedroom ensuites and down stairs toilet woodwork now in place

Roof on

I didn't think it possible to keep admiring a roof... It might wear off the windows are being fitted this week ...

Windows & gutters

Low maintaince and appearance is on the scales against budget. We have decided on aluminium windows, originally we were looking at composite - alu have won for sleeker , thinner design, while still meeting current building regs. I am aiming for the windows to blend and enhance the brick work, avoiding a loud shouting frame.

After getting 5 quotes, even being told by one company that their estimating team were too busy to quote!! We have settled on a local company, to supply and install - the original price began at £35,000!!!! We are now down to a 1/3 !! It shows it can pay to spend time sending out quite requests and haggling!

To match the windows we are having aluminium gutters - the kitchen table is still littered with slate, gutter samples and bricks, as we try to decide on a shade of grey... Just when we choose, one of us ask if green or cream may be good?!!!!?? We didn't realise thereafter do many styles, square or semi round??

Roof

Sealed!

Once the lid is placed onto the building, it suddenly after 3 days of a 6 ant workforce becomes a house! The roof is over 220 m2 and john Thomas 's roofing boys have laid the welsh slate proud. I am so glad we choose the smaller new county welsh slate(16x10 ). I stand back and feel it's a decision well spent, 100 years + , it was worth blowing the kitchen , bathroom...... Budget on! Will I feel this slate pride when I'm standing under a dripping shower or cooking on a camp stove, who knows ?

Roof and gable

The gable

On the up

After a 3 week sulk and a long wait for the bus - we are back on the motorway taking no passengers! In other words the gable is on it's way to being repaired and the new internal block work built !

Brick wall

I havent been too busy to update, there has been No update!!!After cruising along so merrily, we reached some bends and for 2 weeks have since hit a brick wall.
Note to self: supervise every brick UP and DOWN - I am not an uphill walker, deep breath and stagger on, annoyingly this has set us back for 3 weeks

Existing gable new and old

Armed with method statement and patience the time arrived to tie the old and the new.

• 1st floor beams in place, internal block work
• Lateral straps to corners, every 1.5m horizontal intervals
• Lateral straps from floor to gable (3 joists) across at 1m intervals
• Take down peak of gable - after years of this standing monumentally proud, it looks strange now its not there!
• Bonding new and old as I type!

I've been a bit disapointed at the recent speed, due to freezing weather and brickie going onto another job for a few days and changing of minds...1 brick up...5 bricks down...not always my doing - note to self, stick to a plan and spend a little more time checking progress and order on site.

So as I feel 2 weeks behind, the next month will be a sprint, that is of course if the joinery/stairs and window manufacturers ...and...get back to me with the quotes! These people are so lucky that they have soooo much work in a recession!

Update

as we have now decided on a log boiler , we have asked for permisson to add another door way to the rear elevation, this will act as the main boiler room entrance, thereby eliminating smoke/ dust etc in the house. However, for the lazy snowy Sundays or Chelsie days we will add a door from the house too.
The log store will be stocked for the main boiler and the wood burning stove in the lounge

Progress

Normal

I have realised I only tend to rant or write at stressful or decision times; I'm going to now post normal photos... Watch this space, I've been researching various build elements and finding few and far between useful articles; maybe it's because self builders are always too busy to type and/ or when it's complete they are too content in their insulated houses... Maybe? Anyway ... For history sake,a photo rant for you ...

iPort, the wall for i pads and i phones

Home automation..We are looking into connecing audio,visual and lighting into the houe, omg a mind field of info and so many different options -iPort, the in-wall mounting system for Apple iPod Touch en iPad. - TOSS AUDIO

Room size research

Chelsie with her new blue shoes, undertaaking research on bath sizes 

Trying out bath sizes

What a happy model!!

Spider web of wood

Repair and positioning of queen truss

Rooms

Moving on slowly but surely: we've comitted to the room sizes upstairs now, phil and mike ( joiners) have made the stud walling and I think they are becoming used to my changes and requests-
mike has repaired the queen truss and changed the pitch.- this will now allow a clear view of the arrow slits from the upstairs bedroom for me to see... the sheep invading?! Or a moving landscape sounds more poetic!

Real life o's and x's

rooms to value

Although you live and breathe the plans and layout for so long, it is not until the floor and roof is on that you appreciate room sizes and design.  We have spent a few days laying out pretend walls, toilets, sinks,doors.  Just when we thought we'd changed the plans for the last time..We are throwing around...no not each other but the idea to change the bathroom to the cupboard (1.4m x 3.5m) . It would make a smaller family bathroom but will enable us to add another bedroom (potentially adding 3%*+ to the value)

• new bedroom 3m x 2.5m - this will be a single bedroom but being next to the master bedroom is a potential nursery (no I AM NoT being broodie!
• new bathroom 1.4m x 3.5m
• add an ensuite to a bedroom (8 %* added value)
• The house will now become 4/5 bedrooms- 3 double bedrooms; 1 dble with ensuite/dressing room, 1 dble with ensuite, 1 double no ensuite. 1 single, 1 large single/office (£25,000 added value*apparently!) As we used eco joists this will be easy to change , fingers crossed!

*I have taken the figures from self build and nationwide research

Brick work